Caroling
by MeredithBrody
Summary: Brody and Pride go caroling, and decide to spend Christmas together rather than being alone.


**So, guess who wrote a post-ep for tonight's episode? Yes that would be me. Hi. I'm a dork. So, basically this is set at the end after Brody and Pride have gone caroling (probably around the same time LaSalle and Watkins were talking OMG HOW CUTE ARE THEY THOUGH) and it's just a fun and slightly flirty thing. As always, please read and review!**  
**Shin xx**

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This case had obviously really hit LaSalle hard, and as Pride caught up with her on the corner she looked back and hoped their friend would be OK. For the moment though she was going to try and clear that from her mind and focus instead on her, Pride and caroling. She loved caroling, and had since she was young. She linked her arm with Pride's as they fell into the early evening throng of people crowding the streets. Even as she tried to focus on what they were doing now, she worried about LaSalle, and wondered about his plans for the night. "Do you think he's going to be OK?" It was probably an unnecessary question, but she asked it anyway.

"He will be, I've known him many years and he always makes it through in the end." Pride said with confidence. She had to accept that Pride had known LaSalle much longer than she had, and therefore had a lot more insight into him. Christmas was obviously a touchy subject, and she'd try to keep her festive spirit away from him.

"Alright then. I'll call him later." She just wanted to make sure he was OK. In the months since she'd come here she had come to view Chris LaSalle as an annoying brother she liked to fight with. It was the easiest way for them both to be.

"Leave him tonight. He might even follow us." He sounded confident, she wasn't at all confident. In fact, she was pretty sure that he would run away and pretend that Christmas wasn't happening.

She wasn't sure about LaSalle following them, or even if she wanted him to follow along, but really she should act like she'd be happy if he did. "Great. Are you sure you want to go caroling?" She just wanted to be sure, because nobody had seemed particularly enthralled when she'd originally suggested it. He'd agreed to some along though, that said something surely.

"I have nothing else to do and nobody I'd rather be with." There was just a hint of flirting in his tone, and she couldn't help but just grin at it. That was something that was slipping in more and more to their exchanges, but she also knew that right now it wasn't exactly appropriate. While she didn't have a problem with him being her boss, he was still technically a married man.

"That's a nice thing to say. What about Linda?" She asked, almost certain that he would rather spend his night with his wife than with his undefined colleague. She didn't know what was going on with them, but they'll figure it out eventually.

"Ancient history." He answered slowly, and it took her a moment to realise exactly what that meant. If he and Linda were done, then that meant she didn't have to worry about the appropriateness of this. She knew they had been separated, but that didn't necessarily mean done.

"You're done? For real?" She was surprised, given that he and Linda had fought so much to save it. It didn't surprise her at all to know that relationships and their careers didn't actually go well together. People rarely knew what went into their job.

"We are." Pride was hard to read at the best of times, but Brody was slowly learning how to read him, and how to pick up on his moods. He seemed sad that his marriage was over, but at the same time there was definitely relief there. "So my Christmas is wide open. Laurel will be going to her mother, and I will see her afterwards."

Brody couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him at that. Whatever was going on with his wife, he should have gotten to spend Christmas with his daughter. He was one of the most devoted fathers she'd ever come across, and that actually made it sadder that he and Laurel would be apart for Christmas. "That's sad, I'm sorry. I'll be here though the whole time, if you want some company?"

"I'll make you dinner." He offered immediately, and she just burst out laughing. She would gladly accept any offer of Pride cooking, he was a fantastic chef and she always enjoyed his food. Given that she wouldn't be at home, this was probably better than her plan.

"Thanks." She said eventually, coming to a gap that was too narrow for them to walk through, so she unlinked her arm and stepped back a little, nodding for him to go ahead. "After you."

"We're not at work, ladies first." Pride held an arm out instead, and after walking through the gap she linked her arm with his again. She had been getting to know Pride quite well outside of work, but this was the first time they'd ever really done anything officially alone.

"A gentleman, I like it. Wait did we just decide to spend Christmas together?" She hadn't been planning to do anything but sleep and possibly work through Christmas, but a better offer seemed to have been made, something she had accepted without even really thinking about it.

Pride just nodded and rested a warm hand against her suddenly very cold one. The fact that she had agreed to his Christmas proposition seemed to have surprised him as much as it had surprised her. "I think we did."

"Damn, now I need to go buy you a present." She shook her head in fake annoyance. Her parents had mostly argued at Christmas for years, and she doubted she'd even be missed. That had meant she didn't bother buying presents. If she was going to get something for Pride she might as well try and think of something for LaSalle too. Maybe a whoopee cushion.

"I'm sure you'll think of something." Pride grinned, and all Brody could do was laugh and shake her head. The last thing she had ever expected was that he would be inviting her to spend Christmas with him, but that was how it had gone. The problem was definitely going to be finding him a present. Maybe he needed some knew utensils?


End file.
